Frame locks

S

steveg30

Joined
Apr 26, 2004
Messages
1,125
How strong are frame locks. I have a ZT 0300 and a Benchmade Blackwater 16600bt. I was looking at them and where the machined part of the lock is, is thiner than the rest of the lock. Why do they machine that part of the lock. Is that a week point? Have any of you had a frame lock break at that point ?
 
Never had one break on me and as the other posters said, it's so the lock will engage otherwise that part of the knife wouldn't move.
 
The ZT300 has that Hinderer stop to prevent the lockbar from being pushed over too far. I wouldn't worry about it.
 
Haze said:
Yup, thats done to give the lock spring so it will engage when the knife is opened.
It dosnt weaken the lock in any measurable way.
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Actually it does make the lock weaker to heavy compressive force. I don't think it affects reliability though, which is usually a much bigger concern.
When a framelock is under heavy pressure it will either buckle at the cut out or sheer off part of the lock-bar. This is one reason steel framelocks can sometimes be better, though Ti is very sticky when it rubs on other metals, so it should be less likely to release accidentally.
If I remember correctly "heavy pressure" is between 100 and 200 lbs, depending on the knife. Plenty strong for what the average knife goes through, but don't expect it to hold if you want to hang off it or something silly like that.
 
Joshua J. said:
Actually it does make the lock weaker to heavy compressive force. I don't think it affects reliability though, which is usually a much bigger concern.
When a framelock is under heavy pressure it will either buckle at the cut out or sheer off part of the lock-bar. This is one reason steel framelocks can sometimes be better, though Ti is very sticky when it rubs on other metals, so it should be less likely to release accidentally.
If I remember correctly "heavy pressure" is between 100 and 200 lbs, depending on the knife. Plenty strong for what the average knife goes through, but don't expect it to hold if you want to hang off it or something silly like that.
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Agreed.

Also the construction itself is important as it relates to the geomtry of the lock face and blade tang.
 
i think id be more worried about the stop pin on top than the frame lock thats where the pressure is most the time
 
I'm personally not sure why you guys are questioning many year old knife making techniques that are field proven. I mean honestly how many people have failed frame locks?
 
65535 said:
I'm personally not sure why you guys are questioning many year old knife making techniques that are field proven.
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It is only by questioning that we learn new things.:)
I'm sure someone didn't see the need to question good old obsidian, but I'm sure glad that someone did.
 
Frame-locks seem to have two common modes of failure. The lock is deflected off the blade engagement surface (slides off) and the lock is torqued down and then deflected off or collapses (I've only seen a collapse once).

Personally, I'm not much more enthused about frame-locks than I am about liner-locks (and I no longer recommend liner-locks to anyone).

I've got a couple Benchmade Blackwater 16600bt myself and this knife could really benefit from a Hinderer stop to support the lock from torquing down. I do like the design, though, for light/medium use.
 
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